Coffee Prince
by Psychic Prince
Summary: Marth thought his life couldn't get any worse. His mother and sister died. His father committed a crime. Because of this, he must lay low and disguise himself as a girl. Even worse, he unknowingly stole the heart of Ike, his classmate and fellow employee! Marth knows that it's dangerous to love Ike back, but he does. If only Ike knew the truth about his identity... IkexMarth
1. Meeting Her

**Hey there! This is my first IkexMarth story, and I'm pretty excited! This idea _is _my own, but it was also inspired by the Korean drama, _A Gentleman's Dignity_. I don't own anything. Enjoy!**

Ike leaned against the white countertop, his chin resting in his hands. He stared at the door, waiting for the next customer. Business had been slow lately, and it was making Mr. Dedede jittery. The door opened, and the small bell attached to it jingled merrily.

"Welcome to Coffee King!"Ike called as cheerfully as he possibly could. A girl stood there, hesitant, a small piece of paper in her hand.

The girl was slim, and delicate; it looked as if even the wind could push her over. She had hair so black, it looked blue. Her eyes matched the color of her hair; a dark blue color. She wrung her dainty hands, wrinkling the paper a bit. Her small feet shuffled along the ground, and she had long, slender legs. The girl wore something that appeared to be a school uniform; she wore a tie and had a skirt on. On her head was a small golden headband with a blue stone embedded in the center. She looked about twenty-three years old, about Ike's age. Overall, she was very pretty in his eyes.

"Hello,"she said quietly. Ike had to strain to hear her.

"What can I do for you?" Ike stood up straight and adjusted the little brown "beret" that rested on top of his head. He dusted off his brown apron while he was at it.

"I-I'm here to apply for the j-job." The girl looked right into Ike's blue eyes. He blinked.

"I'll get Mr. Dedede for you. I'm Ike." He pointed to a small name tag attached to his apron. "What's your name?"

The girl hesitated. "I'm M-Martha Loelle. But please, call me Mar."

…

Marth hesitated before entering the coffee shop. He was dressed as a girl. What had this world come to?

It all started when Marth's father, Cornelius Lowell, committed a heinous crime. Before, their family was quite wealthy; Cornelius was known as the "King of Business". However, Marth's father became too power-hungry, and therefore, was thrown into jail.

Marth's mother and sister had died about five years ago, and Marth was still struggling to recover from the loss. Now, he was penniless and all alone.

The first thing that Marth decided to do was lay low. He changed his name and identity completely, and moved. He changed schools. It would be a whole new lifestyle. First things first, he _did _look like a girl. Quite a bit. So, Marth switched his name to Martha, Mar for short, and switched his last name, Lowell, to Loelle. That's how Marth became a girl in disguise.

Marth took a good look at the shop. Inside, it was very neat and organized, the white countertop scrubbed clean, the floors mopped, and the tables set with vases and flowers. The air was heavy with the sweet yet bitter scent of coffee. Beside the countertop was a glass container with cakes and pastries inside.

He entered the shop silently as a tall boy with spiky blue hair greeted him from the cash register. Twisting the job ad in his hands, he observed the boy.

To make things short, he was very handsome, with dark blue eyes and... Blue hair! Just like Marth's! Also, there was nothing feminine about him, unlike Marth. The boy smiled warmly at him, the small brown beret on his head tipped at an angle.

Marth learned that the boy's name was Ike. He led Marth towards the back of the shop, and guided him into a room that was labeled "Dedede".

"H-Hello?" Marth peered inside the room.

"Come in!"a voice boomed.

Dedede was a portly man in his mid-thirties. He had a wide smile, and wore a strange red and yellow outfit. On top of his head, he wore a red and gold hat that appeared to be almost like a santa hat; it had a white puffball on the tip.

"Who are you?" Dedede looked Marth up and down. "A student from the nearby school?"

"I-I'm Martha Loelle, but please, call me Mar."

"What do you need, young lady?"

"I'm here to apply for the job. You said you needed an extra hand?" Marth held out the newspaper ad.

Dedede looked it over. "Well, I'll give you the job, but lemme warn you now. There are three young boys working here after school, eh, around twenty-four years old, I'd say. You okay with working with those youngsters?"

"Yes sir! Thank you, sir!"Marth cried, lacing his fingers together.

"It's Mr. Dedede to you!"Dedede said, his eyes sparking with laughter. "You can start work now!"

…

Mr. Dedede gave Marth a brown apron and a small brown beret, just like Ike's. He steered him into the shop to introduce him to the other boys.

"Mar, this is Ike, Link, and Roy." Dedede held his hand out to the boys.

"Hey Mar. Remember me? I'm Ike." Ike smiled. As if Marth could forget _him_. "The guy in all green and blond hair is Link, and Roy is the redhead."

Roy and Link both waved at Marth.

"H-Hi, I'm Mar..." Marth swallowed hard. His stuffed his trembling hands into his apron pockets.

The door opened, signaling that a customer arrived.

"Get to work, everyone!"Dedede called, and sauntered back into his office.

"Here, do you wanna do the cash register?"Ike asked, cocking his head.

"S-Sure..."

"Come on, then!" Ike led Marth to the register. He looked at the customer for the first time. "Hey, Peach! Hey, Zelda! What can I do for you guys?"

Peach, the pretty blond girl with clear blue eyes, grinned at Ike. "We just stopped by for the fun of it. Zelda wanted to see Link anyways."

The brunette, Zelda, nodded. "Link! You there?"she called.

Peach noticed Marth for the first time. "Hello. Are you new?"

"Y-Yes,"Marth stuttered. He opened his mouth to say more, but Ike saved him.

"This is Mar, and she just started working here today. I think she's going to our school." Ike turned to Marth. "Did you even start yet? You're new to the neighborhood, right?"

Marth nodded. "Yes, I'm starting school tomorrow..."

Peach smiled in a friendly way, and said, "Well, it was nice to meet you, Mar! Excuse me, I'm going to join Link and Zelda now." She gracefully stepped away.

Ike swiftly moved behind Marth. "Now, lemme teach you how to use the register..."

Marth barely heard what Ike said, because at that moment, Ike reached over and put his arms around him to reach the register, instructing Marth what each button did. His heart was pounding, his hands shaking. Marth could just barely feel Ike's gentle breath on his shoulder... No. He couldn't do this. He wouldn't.

He wouldn't, couldn't, fall in love with Ike.

…

Ike kept casting glances at Mar while he arranged pastries in the glass container. He couldn't help it. It was just her sweetness, her naïve personality, her beauty, it all just captivated him.

He found himself staring at her at unnecessary times. Roy stood in front of him and waved his hand in front of Ike's face.

"Earth to Ike! Earth to Ike!"Roy huffed. He resorted to flicking Ike's forehead.

"What?"Ike hissed crossly.

"You're putting the croissants with the donuts, the scones with the danishes, and the banana bread with the muffins! What's your deal today? School work? Girl problems?" Roy craftily followed Ike's gaze. "Aha! It's Mar, isn't it?"

"What? No!" Ike quickly rearranged the mixed-up pastries. He wiped his hands on his apron. "It's _not _Mar."

Roy readjusted his beret. It appeared a bit strange on his mess of red hair, but Roy didn't seem to care.

"Ike? Girl problems? _Never_." Link appeared, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "The girls definitely wouldn't just _die _to have Ike as their boyfriends, no siree."

"Shut it, Link,"Ike growled, rolling his eyes, "Three words. I. Don't. Care."

Roy glanced around. Mar was starting to look confused and a bit suspicious. "Less chitchat! More work! We can talk after work. Maybe tonight."

…

Ike shared an apartment with Link and Roy. They walked to school together, so they considered themselves roommates.

Link flopped onto the couch. Ike threw his backpack onto the floor and copied Link. Roy perched on a nearby chair.

"Talk time!" Roy rubbed his hands together. "I'll go first. Can you believe that Mr. Knight gave us so much homework? It's ridiculous! And he's just the Language Arts professor! I was really glad Peach came by today; it brightened my mood a lot." Roy had a serious crush on Peach, but was too shy to express himself.

When the three boys chatted at night, they sounded a bit like girls.

Link rolled his eyes. "Speaking of Peach, I'm also glad that she and Zelda stopped by. It's always nice to have friends visit while you're working."

Ike snickered, "You consider Zelda a friend?"

"My _girl_friend, Ike. Happy now?" Link crossed his arms. "Ike's turn."

"I think Mar is an... Interesting character,"Ike began hesitantly.

Roy made a heart with his hands. "Ike loves Mar! Ike loves Mar! Ike loves Maaar!"

"Zip it, Happy Meal." Ike clenched his fists. "So what if I like Mar? She's sweet, kind-hearted, and pretty. Plus, she's a hard worker."

Link smirked. He nodded at Roy, and they both held up their hands above their heads, and curved their arms into a heart shape.

"Ike love Maaar! Ike loves Maaar! Ike loves Maaaaar!"they chorused. The two boys danced a little jig on the carpet, bobbing their heads up and down.

"Button it, you two, or I'll have to hurt you in the fencing club tomorrow,"Ike threatened.

The three boys were skilled fencers, and fenced for their school. If he wanted, Ike could crush Roy and Link. If he wanted.

"Whatever." Link stretched his arms. "Time to hit the hay."

Roy and Link went into their rooms, leaving Ike to think. Maybe they were right.

Maybe he loved Mar.

**What did you think?  
**

**Review are greatly appreciated!  
**

**I'll try to have the next chapter up ASAP!  
**

**- Psychic Prince  
**


	2. Hurt and Confused

**Hey there! Here's chapter 2! I don't own anything. Oh, some of the parts are inspired by the Korean drama, _A Gentleman's Dignity_. I don't own those ideas either. In this fanfic, the Pokemon and animal characters will most likely be in a "human form" (Ex: Meta Knight, Lucario, etc.). Enjoy!**

Marth stared, horrified, at the front door of his first period class, Language Arts.

_No... Not Ike... No..._

Sure enough, Ike sat in the third row, shuffling papers around his desk. Fortunately, he didn't notice Marth yet. Unfortunately, the only empty seat was next to Ike. Why? All of the girls were crowded as close as they could be to Ike. Oh. Right. Link and Roy were practically _hovering _over the desk. As if they were saving it for Marth.

Link spotted him. "Hey, _Mar_!" Marth noticed that Link subtly reached over and gently nudged Ike.

Ike looked up and spotted Marth. "Hi Mar!"

Marth silently nodded his salutations, his heart pounding. Absentmindedly waving a hello to Roy, he sat down at the seat.

_Can my life get any worse? And yet... Can it get any better?_

The teacher was a tall man with black-blue hair. He had a stern look on his face, and yellow eyes. Yellow eyes! Luminous, nearly glowing, yellow eyes! Amazing! He wore a dark purple trench coat and dark blue jeans. He also wore purple shoes. This school amazed Marth to no end.

"Class, today we have a new student. Martha Loelle, please stand up." The teacher had a deep, bass voice; yet slightly melodic and majestic, like a cello.

Marth blushed as other girls started to giggle. Martha _was _an old-fashioned name... But what choice did he have? "Please, call me M-Mar..."he said quietly, standing up.

He felt Ike's eyes staring at him. Marth shifted uncomfortably, while the giggling died down. However, the giggling turned to whispering and muttering, and soon, he felt the envy of all the girl's stares on him.

"Well, Mar, I'm Mr. Knight. Meta Knight. Welcome to my Language Arts class. I'll excuse you from any homework we've had so far, but try to keep up today." Mr. Knight walked over to a whiteboard. Strange. When he walked, Mr. Knight seemed so graceful, it appeared as if he was _gliding _over the floor. And yet, his feet were solidly on the ground.

Marth payed close attention in class, but he constantly had that burning feeling that Ike was staring at him. _Why?_

…

Ike could say that he overdid it a bit. He couldn't help it! It was just the way Mar looked when she stood up in front of the class. Or how she rested her elbows on the desk. Or how her hair fell over her right shoulder like a curtain.

He knew other girls would be jealous, but he didn't stop to think of the consequences.

Ike, Link, and Roy were walking down the hall when they heard about five girls quarreling.

"You'll never compare to our beauty!"

Four girls had another smaller girl cornered next to the water fountain. The four looked livid, but the cornered one appeared calm.

It was Mar. Against four other girls. "I may not compare to your 'beauty', and yet, I'm smarter and wiser than you are,"Mar replied, tapping her index finger to her temple, "The ancient Greek goddess Athena once argued that wisdom was beauty. Apparently, she was right. Thus, however, she helped kindle the fire to the Trojan War."

The other girls spluttered among themselves as they struggled to find an answer just as clever.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? Or is it your catty attitude?"Mar taunted.

Finally, the girls had enough. They simply shrieked a few more insults at her, and stomped away in a huff. Mar smirked.

Roy stepped out of the shadows and clapped. "Bravo, bravo!" Mar instantly became on guard again.

"We're not gonna hurt you,"Link promised, "That was amazing! You have to teach us how to do that sometime!"

Mar blushed. "I-It was nothing..."

Ike smiled. "Taking down four girls with words only? That's very impressive. If I could do that, maybe they would stop chasing me around,"he joked.

The girl looked defensive, but her eyes betrayed a hint of a grin.

"After school, let's have a little fun! Today's a day off!"Roy cried, reaching up and slinging his arm over Link's shoulder. "To Physics!"

…

Marth stared, dumbfounded, at the boys. _Chess_? Oh, please. What were they doing?

They were in Ike, Link, and Roy's dorm, sitting in chairs at a coffee table. Marth found it amusing that the three boys were so lazy, their apartment password was 1233. Obviously, they didn't feel like going down to the next row of numbers. What an interesting address too! Swordlight Lane, building 437, apartment number 101. In his opinion, it was a very nice apartment.

Link rubbed his hands together. "I'll be with Roy!"

Roy began to object, but he was silenced with a look from Link.

Ike nodded, and gestured for Marth to sit beside him at the table. They were white.

"Okay, what's today?"Roy asked.

Looking thoughtful, Ike replied, "How about... Losers buy the winners dinner! Their choice of food!"

Link and Roy agreed wholeheartedly, and Marth nodded his consent as well.

"Let the game... Begin!"Marth laughed good-naturedly, and, since white went first, made the first move.

Chess was a game of wits and strategy. Exactly Marth's strong points. He guided their pieces along the board, along with Ike.

Playing with the other three boys was fun, as they took it so seriously. When he took a black piece, Link and Roy would groan and slap their foreheads in disbelief. Ike smirked and gave Marth a high-five. Every time a valuable piece was lost, the losing team would have a pained expression on their faces and groan, while the other team would laugh and stick their tongues out.

Even though it was friendly competition, they played as if in a chess tournament, ready and intense.

And so the game went on, until Marth and Ike eventually won.

"Yes! You two are buying dinner!"Ike cried jubilantly, standing up and pumping his fist.

Marth laughed. "Let's go!"

The four got up and walked outside. Roy was so disappointed that he forgot to take his house slippers off and walked outside with them, and he only realized his mistake when they got to the restaurant. They argued in a friendly manner up until then.

To his own amusement, Marth concluded that adolescents, these three boys in particular, don't really mature. They just get older.

…

Marth reflected back on his day as he deposited his backpack in his small apartment. It appeared to be more like a shack, though.

With the money he was getting from working for Coffee King, Marth was able to pay rent. Just barely.

It was a small, modest apartment; 8210 Altea Road, apartment number 2. The kitchen was a little outdated, with no dishwasher. It was okay; hand-washing suited Marth just fine. It had two rooms; the main room and the washroom. The main room had the kitchen, "dining room", and Marth's desk and bed all in one room. It was a bit cramped at times, but it would have to do.

He looked at himself in a small mirror. Marth was trying to get used to wearing a skirt, but it was no easy job. Maybe he could wear jeans tomorrow. He shook his head, and started homework.

Marth's teachers were overall okay. He found that he liked Mr. Knight a lot. For some reason, he enjoyed having the wise, slightly sarcastic man as his Language Arts professor. Ms. Samus, his science teacher, was energetic and peppy; she was tall and lean, with long blond hair and striking blue eyes. Mr. Luigi, his math teacher, was quiet and thoughtful; he was medium-hight with brown hair and brilliant green eyes, with a comical mustache to top it all off. Mr. Lucario, his history teacher, was wise and stern, with black hair and eyes that _seemed _yellow, but also appeared to flicker with a blue "fire".

Marth sighed, putting his pencil down. His thoughts turned to Ike.

_I must not let him fall in love with me_, Marth thought desperately, _He'd be heartbroken to find out I'm not who I really am. That I'm not the girl of his dreams. I'm a mere boy with no home, no mother, no siblings, and a father in jail. I forbid myself to fall for him..._

Little did Marth know, he'd already fallen for Ike and Ike already fell for him.

…

Ike, Link, Roy, and Mar all sat together at a bench before entering the fencing room. Link sat, readjusting his glove, Roy was poking at his helmet, Ike was tying his shoes, and Mar was checking the tip of her sabre.

There were three different types of fencing. Sabre, foil, and epee. In sabre, fencers must aim to cut, not poke, from the waist, up, including the head, arms, chest, etc. In foil, fencers must aim to poke the torso, and in epee, they could aim anywhere on the body, as long as they poked.

Ike glanced over to Mar. He figured out that she favored sabre, which was good, because the three guys all fenced with sabre too. It had been a month since Mar joined their group, and she fit in pretty well. They all had a bunch of fun together working at Coffee King, and Mr. Dedede was happy with their performance. She enjoyed the same activities they did, but that made Ike wonder. Mar was a bit... Boyish. Slightly. No, make that one-fifth boyish. Strange.

"Ready?" Link stood up and put his mask on.

"Yeah." Ike walked out onto the guard line.

The fencing club area wasn't that fancy, just a studio that appeared as if used for ballerinas, with mirrors. Guard lines were painted along the hardwood floor, and electrical equipment lay on the ground for when the fencers didn't have a director.

"I'll direct,"Mar offered, and stood a little ways off in the middle of Roy and Ike.

Ike and Roy took off their masks, stood in first position, and saluted each other before putting their masks back on.

"En garde,"Mar said clearly. "Ready... Fence!"

Ike advanced a couple steps before lunging at Roy. The smaller boy parried, and attempted a riposte. Ike was faster though, and retreated a few steps before Roy's sabre could cut him on the chest. He feinted, pretending to aim for Roy's chest, and when he saw Roy beginning to defend that spot, Ike quickly shifted and cut him straight on top of the head, the sabre bouncing off of the mask with a clanging sound.

"Halt!"Mar called, and pointed to Ike. He smiled at her before getting into the en garde position again.

Later, Mar went against Link. Ike admired her graceful yet aggressive movements. She parried and riposted Link's attacks beautifully, and had a killer disengage. It was almost like Mar danced while fencing.

"We're going to have to nickname you the 'Dancing Blade',"Ike joked after the match was over. Mar took off her mask, shaking her hair out, blushing slightly.

Oh God. Mar was _still _beautiful even when she was sweaty from being under the hot fencing equipment. Her bangs, which hung over her eyes now, were slightly wet, and her cheeks were flushed from blushing and fencing. Mar's blue eyes sparkled with vigor.

"Thanks!" Mar looked at the clock. "We should get going now." She unzipped her fencing jacket and wriggled out of it. Then, she took her chest protector off and put it neatly beside her jacket and helmet. Mar took her glove off last, and deposited the small pile inside of a locker.

Mar's clothes were slightly sweaty, and she went inside of a locker room to change.

As Ike removed his fencing gear, Link and Roy were blabbering about how good Mar turned out to be.

Roy leaned over to Ike and elbowed him. "Mar is good, isn't she?"

Link nodded absentmindedly, then grew excited. "It's Zelda and Peach!" Ike heard the door opening and closing.

"What?"Roy whisper-yelled, "What are they doing here?"

"I invited them to have dinner with us,"Link replied, and waved them over. "Hi! Over here!"

"Quick! Pretend like we're talking about something important!"Roy hissed, waving his arms at Link.

"We were, you dimwit!" Ike rolled his eyes, and told them that he would wait for Mar.

She came out of the locker, wearing a light blue sweatshirt and jeans. Mar spotted Ike, and blushed lightly.

Then, something seemed to possess Ike. It was like it wasn't him controlling his own body. Ike reached over, and pulled Mar into a tight embrace on impulse.

The smaller girl tensed, surprised for a moment, then relaxed, hugging Ike back lightly. She had a faraway look in her eyes. Ike began to close his eyes blissfully. All of a sudden, though, Mar tensed up again and jerked out of Ike's grip, and stared up at him, as if horrified. But before she stumbled away, Ike caught a trace of another emotion in her eyes.

A deep longing.

**I appreciate reviews!**

**What will happen next? Wait and find out!  
**

**I'll update ASAP! Pinkie promise!  
**

**- Psychic Prince  
**


	3. Dangerous

**Hey there! I'm back! With another chapter! I don't own anything. Oh, the balloon part was inspired by a scene in another Korean drama, _Rooftop Prince_. Also, if you have any basic questions about fencing, feel free to PM me! Enjoy!**

Mar staggered away from Ike, his mind reeling.

_No! It's too dangerous! Ike will only end up getting hurt if he loves me... He only loves me because he thinks that I'm a girl! What have I done?_

He stumbled, nearly crashing into Peach, who was standing nearby.

"Mar! What-"she started, then saw the tears forming in Marth's eyes.

Zelda noted that Ike looked confused, hurt, and yes, a bit guilty.

"Change of plan, boys. Us three girls need to talk. _Privately_." Peach ushered Marth out the door, and Zelda followed, waving a weak good-bye to the boys before closing the door behind her.

Peach hailed a taxi, and guided Marth inside. Zelda gave instructions to the driver, and they were off.

For the most part, Marth managed to hold his tears in until they arrived at Peach and Zelda's dorm room. He collapsed on a nearby chair, and fat, hot tears started to stream down his cheeks.

Looking concerned, Peach motioned for Zelda to make some tea, and crouched down next to Marth. "Mar? What's wrong?"

"It's too dangerous!"Marth cried, looking up at Peach, "How could I? Ike will only get hurt!"

Peach blinked, her pretty blue eyes betraying the emotion of confusion. "What? Ike?"

Zelda reappeared, a tray with a pot of tea on it and three teacups. She set them down on a nearby table. The brunette gazed at Marth sympathetically, and said, "You like Ike, don't you?"

Marth reluctantly nodded, sniffling.

"How can you loving him hurt Ike?"Peach asked quietly. She stood up and began to pour a cup of tea as she spoke.

"Y-You wouldn't understand! I can't love him!" Marth buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking with now-silent sobs.

Peach and Zelda exchanged a look, and resorted to calming their new friend down.

…

"Thank you, Ike, for saving me!"Roy cried as soon as Peach left. He wiped his brow in relief.

Link didn't look amused. "What happened there?"

Ike had the grace to blush slightly. "I uh, accidentally hugged Mar..."

Roy gave him a blank look. "How can you _accidentally _hug somebody?" He looked at Link and purposefully charged into him. The redhead wrapped his arms around Link's shoulders. "Huh. Not feeling _accidental_."

"Get off of me, you blockhead!"Link growled, and pried Roy off of him. "Yeah, Ike. _Accidental_."

Ike threw his arms up into the air. "All right, I hugged her on purpose! But it felt like an impulse!" He paced, trying to think.

_Why did she hug me then... Run away? Is she afraid of me or something? We're friends! _Ike furrowed his eyebrows. _What did I do? Is she hiding something?_

"Hello, Ike,"a voice behind him sounded.

Ike whipped around. "Hi, Mr. Knight. What are you doing here?"

The teacher's luminous yellow eyes bored into Ike. He gestured to a group of junior high-schoolers. "I'm the new fencing club instructor, remember?"

Ike nodded faintly, then watched as a blond boy in a fencing outfit run towards Link.

"Link!"the boy cried, and gazed up at Link admiringly.

Link ruffled the smaller boy's hair good-naturedly. "Hey, Toon."

Toon had rather strange, cat-eyes. Ike noted that three other boys ran over, one with jet-black hair and violet eyes, another with blond hair and blue eyes, and the last with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes.

"Ness! Lucas! Popo! Toon Link! Get back to the class!"Mr. Knight called, annoyance edging his voice.

Ike looked at Mr. Knight. "Are these your... Students?"

The teacher nodded grimly. "I think you older boys should either watch or go do something else. I can tell that you have a lot on your mind." Turning on his heel, Mr. Knight lightly walked away, calling to his fencing class.

…

The next Saturday morning, Ike rehearsed what he might say to Mar today at work.

"Hey, Mar!" No. Too casual. "How's it going?" No. "What happened back there?" Nah. Too pushy and awkward. Ike resorted to winging it.

Later at work, he found Link and Roy entertaining Mar. She was laughing, eyes sparkling, her lips curved up into a sweet, naïve smile.

Link was walking around the coffee shop, wearing a cooking pot on top of his head. The customers giggled and asked why he was being a "pothead".

"Safety precautions,"Link replied airily, and winked.

Roy still wore the brown beret and apron, but the apron was covered in pink and purple hearts and flowers. He hummed merrily to himself as he worked the cash register. When Ike asked, he told him that the hearts added "pizzazz".

Mar cleaned the surrounding areas, greeting the customers with a genuine smile. As soon as Ike appeared, however, her expression became guarded and apprehensive. Link and Roy seemed to notice this, and waved to Ike. Mar turned her back on him as he passed her.

…

Marth felt broken. Who knew that it would be so hard to ignore just one boy?

After work, he was about to leave when Ike stopped him. "Mar?"

_That's not my name. _"Hmm?" Marth didn't look at Ike.

"I'm... Sorry, okay? I didn't really mean it..." Ike looked so hurt. It broke Marth even further, crushing him into fine grains.

"I-It's okay..." Marth dared to look at Ike in the eyes. His eyes lit up with a smile, and he then held up a balloon.

"I'm gonna prank Roy,"Ike whispered, and put a finger over his lips. He gestured for Marth to trail behind him as he walked over to Roy.

"What do you want, Ike?" Roy looked curious. "Is that a helium balloon?"

Ike shook his head. "I dare you to swallow all of the air from this _non-helium_ balloon!"

Marth finally figured out that Ike was strategically holding the balloon upside-down, so that it didn't appear to be floating. He giggled quietly at Ike's genius.

Roy looked a bit suspicious, but relieved. "Uh, sure?"

He took the balloon carefully and swallowed all of the air in one go. Marth nearly collapsed in a fit of silent laughter. Ike's eyes were squinted, tears beginning to leak from them, as he hunched over, laughing. Even Link found this hilarious, and chuckled.

"What?" Roy's voice came out very high-pitched and squeaky, like a chipmunk. "Hey! What happened? Ike! You little sneak! It _was _a helium balloon, wasn't it!" Ike's response was a loud guffawing sound. "_Impudence_!"Roy shrieked, and chased Ike around the coffee shop.

"What's going on in here? Why aren't you getting home?"Mr. Dedede called, strutting towards them.

"Sorry, Mr. Dedede!"Roy squeaked. Link, Ike, and Marth doubled over in hysterics.

"Roy?" Mr. Dedede looked confused. "Why is your voice so freakishly squeaky?"

Link fell over, rolling on the floor with laughter, while Ike started to wheeze and gasp for breath, as he laughed too hard and too much. Marth had a hiccuping fit.

As Marth tried to recover, he thought, _I can never be truly mad at Ike or these boys. They are my friends, and truly hilarious. Although we're nearing our mid-twenties, we're still acting like twelve-year-olds._

…

For the most part, school and work tied in pretty well together. The four students studied during school hours, and after school, they worked for Mr. Dedede until dinner. They had chances to study here and there, and did their homework after dinner.

Marth gazed wonderingly at Ike. _How can one boy get so many girls to like him? _

From his first day, Marth had made himself an enemy to all girls, save for Zelda and Peach. They all seemed envious of his closeness to Ike. Of course, they didn't know that he wasn't really a girl, but since the girls hated Marth, the boys that liked the girls hated Marth. Fantastic.

Ike was nearly constantly pushing a girl away, occasionally using Marth as a shield. Honestly, Marth didn't mind, although it meant being closer to Ike. Every time he thought of Ike, Marth willed himself to let go of that boy, like letting go a helium balloon on a bright summer day. But Marth was too attached to his balloon. He would never let it go on purpose, even if he tried his hardest to.

Marth tapped his long fingers on the white countertop, awaiting their next customer. He wanted to play the piano again. Ever since his father got thrown into jail, Marth was hanging on to every penny he earned, to pay for his school tuition (to be completely honest, it cost quite a whopper), and rent. There was no time to relax and let his fingers dance across the gleaming ivory keys anymore.

He let his fingers tap in a more intricate pattern, remembering the last song he'd been taught. Marth almost didn't hear the door open and close loudly.

"Well, well, well! It's Ike's _girlfriend_!" A bitter voice cut through Marth's thoughts.

Marth straightened up. "What can I do for you?" He ignored the last comment, and struggled to be polite. Only for Mr. Dedede's business.

A tall girl with straight green hair stood in front of him, her arms crossed. A boy with tousled blond hair peered over her shoulder, albeit menacingly.

She sneered, "I came to see _Ike_, not you. You're just a mere scum of the human race. Where is he?"

Marth clenched his teeth. "He's in the back. If you want, I will fetch him for you." Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and called into the kitchen, "Ike! Someone's here for you!" It was hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice as he did so.

Ike came out, his eyes instantly narrowing as he gazed at the green-haired girl. His expression was grim as he said, "Hello, Lyn and Isaac. How can we help you?"

Lyn held her head up high in the air. "I just wanted to let you know that there's a fencing club meet today at five." She fluttered her long eyelashes alluringly. "You're coming, right?"

"Yeah, so is Link, Roy, and Mar,"Ike replied bluntly.

"Mar?"Isaac asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Yeah, Mar,"Ike growled, grabbing Marth's arm and pulling him beside him. Marth blushed.

Lyn glared daggers at Marth. "Well, _Mar_, nice to meet you,"she drawled. It sounded as if she meant exactly the opposite. "See you later at fencing, Ike." With that, Lyn spun on her heel, making her green hair whip through the air as she did. Isaac glanced over his shoulder at Marth once before joining Lyn.

After the terrible two left, Ike took Marth by the shoulders.

"Are you okay?"he murmured, staring into Marth's wide blue eyes.

"Yes,"Marth replied bluntly, looking down, avoiding Ike's gaze.

"Good." Ike let go of him, brushed a strand of hair out of Marth's eyes, and walked away.

…

Ike entered the fencing room with a bored expression on his face. He saw the younger students look at him curiously before turning back to talk amongst one another.

Mar, Link, and Roy were already there, putting their protective gear on.

"Better hurry up, Ike!"Link called out, "Mr. Knight is starting soon!"

After he put on his fencing gear, Roy sidled over to him.

"Did you notice the death glares those girls are giving Mar?"he asked in a slightly annoyed yet concerned voice. Ike only nodded grimly.

True enough, a group of girls sat in the back, watching the fencing club. They were all glaring at Mar, who was innocently conversing with Link about techniques for the sabre.

Ike decided to push their buttons a bit more, and snuck up on Mar. He heard her give a gasp of surprise when he reached over and hugged her from behind.

It was hard to tell, but underneath all of her protective gear, Mar had a small waist and a slender body. No surprise there. She _looked _slim and delicate, very effeminate.

_Strange. _Although he was just _hugging _Mar, Ike could tell that some of her bodily qualities seemed a bit... Masculine. Even though she looked feminine, there were certain qualities that made a boy. For instance, Ike noticed that over the time that he'd known her, he noticed that Mar was, ahem... er, flat-chested.

Ike let go of her, and she stumbled back, her cheeks a bright red.

"W-What-"Mar stuttered furiously.

Ike winked. "Just giving them a good show." He nodded slightly in the direction of the glowering girls. They now seemed to look as if Mar should disintegrate on the spot.

"Don't _ever_ do that again!"Mar hissed, and stomped away, leaving Ike a bit surprised.

_Does Mar not like me? Does she not like me the same way I like her? _Ike gazed at Mar's retreating back. _Maybe she loves someone else already... _Ike shook his head violently, and came to a conclusion.

_Just because there is a goalkeeper, doesn't mean you can't score a goal._

…

Marth felt livid... And yet, flustered. Quite a bit.

_H-How could he! He embraced me from behind, as if we were a... _Marth didn't even want to think about it.

Link chuckled quietly next to her as they sat and waited for Mr. Knight. "Ike is full of surprises, I'll give him that."

Marth blushed a deep scarlet. "Y-You're right... I didn't expect him to do that..."

Mr. Knight appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. "Hello. I'm your new fencing club instructor, Mr. Knight. We'll be taking turns fencing one another today. Sabre. Mar and Lyn may go first."

_No... Not Lyn... _Marth slowly walked up to the guard line, took off his helmet, and saluted Lyn. The green-haired girl smirked as she put her helmet on.

Mr. Knight stood a little ways off. "En garde. Ready... Fence!"

Lyn aggressively lunged at Marth, and he barely parried on time. The pressure on her sword was firm and solid, so Marth had a little difficulty doing the riposte quickly, but succeeded anyhow.

"Halt!"Mr. Knight called. "Lyn, not so fast next time."

The other girl glared at Marth.

"Ready... Fence!"

Lyn advanced, taking small, quick steps, then feinted, pretending to aim for Marth's head. He barely had enough time to block an attempt to hit his chest, then retreated with lightning speed. Marth flicked his fingers a few times, the sword tip acting like a pen in front of Lyn's wrist. Then, he quickly disengaged and cut Lyn squarely on the chest.

"Halt!"Mr. Knight said, "Excellent defense and disengage, Mar."

The match went on, Marth eventually beating Lyn. The rest of the fencing club was quite entertaining; he got to watch and learn more about fencing from Mr. Knight and his classmates.

As Marth started walking to get his bag after changing, Lyn struck him down, slapping him upside the head.

"You will never beat me again, nor will you steal Ike from me!"Lyn snarled, stepping on Marth's stomach and leaning down to look at him straight in the eye.

"Who said that I did? I have no control over Ike's feelings,"Marth wheezed, trying to breathe.

"Oh? Oh well. I just enjoy beating you for the fun of it, too, you lowlife,"Lyn growled into Marth's ear.

He braced himself to get hit relentlessly by Lyn. But it really wasn't enough to ease the pain as Lyn's hand rose, and came down on Marth's cheek. He nearly screamed in pain; his cheek was burning with a white-hot fire now, but he bit his lip instead, drawing blood. He couldn't, wouldn't, let Lyn know how much it hurt.

He knew now that even though Ike didn't mean it, he hurt Marth, just through the form of another jealous girl.

Ike was indeed dangerous.

**What did you think?**

**Tell me in the form of a... Yes! A review! I appreciate all reviews!  
**

**I'll get the next chapter up ASAP, although I may be slower, since I have school during the weekdays...  
**

**- Psychic Prince  
**


	4. Us

**Hey guys! Sorry this last chapter was updated so late... I had a hard time thinking about what to write... In other words, writer's block! I'll also have to apologize if this chapter is a bit shorter, more abrupt, and not as good as the others... Sorry again! Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the last chapter!**

Marth slowly walked away from the school campus. Time to go to work. Perhaps it was payday. Nothing really mattered to Marth anymore though. He was blindly living, trying to stay away from Ike. Students milled about him, laughing and talking amongst themselves.

"Mar!" Ike. The other blue-haired boy ran up to him and grinned. "Do you wanna go together?"

Even though he wanted to say yes, Marth shook his head haltingly. "No thanks." His hands began to shake.

Ike looked hurt. "Why? Did I do something wrong?"

Marth stepped away from Ike, his temper flaring unexpectedly. "Of course you did! It's all your fault!"

Eyes downcast, Ike murmured, "I'm sorry about earlier this week. But it's not like I can control Lyn's actions!"

"No! No! I can't!"

"Can't what, Mar?" Ike stepped forward and reached his hand out to brush his hand against Marth's cheek, but Marth jerked away.

"You're dangerous! What's more, your love is dangerous!"

Ike looked shocked. "Is there something wrong with my love?"

"You can't love me! I'm not the girl of your dreams!" Marth felt tears begin to sting at his eyes.

"Who says you aren't?" Ike appeared confused.

"I'm not because... Because... I'm not even a girl!" The tears pilled down Marth's cheeks as Ike's concerned expression turned to one of utter shock and betrayal.

"What?"

Marth took a deep breath. In a shaking voice, he shouted, "My name is Marth Lowell, son of the 'King of Business', Cornelius Lowell. After my father got arrested, I was told to lay low and hide. And I did. I disguised myself as a girl, Martha Loelle, but shattered my own heart and yours." Marth's voice was getting hoarser as he spoke, "I'm so sorry, Ike."

The students around them stopped chatting and walking home. It seemed like the world froze for a minute.

Ike stared blankly at him before his expression turned cold. "You lied to me. Your friendship, your love, my love, it was all a _lie_!"

"Ike-"

The older boy struck his hands out and shoved Marth to the ground before sprinting away, a single tear streaming down his face.

…

Mr. Knight observed Marth carefully during class. She, or rather, he, had come up in front of the class, and confessed being a boy. No surprise there.

He also observed Link and Roy, who seemed lost at who to comfort. Ike's expression seemed cold and unforgiving, and Marth's eyes held utter shame and broken-heartedness.

Mr. Knight's gaze softened a bit. He hoped that Marth would be able to sort out his own problems accordingly, and come out stronger from this experience.

It was troubling, though. Over the next few weeks, Marth's grades dropped drastically. He often arrived to class late, a bruise on his cheek, leg, or arm, and tried in vain to hide it. His face now held a blank expression of hopelessness and obviously had no more will to live.

…

Mr. Dedede sighed and stopped working on paperwork, thinking about his troubled employee, Mar, or rather, Marth. He'd confessed to him about being a boy, but Mr. Dedede brushed it off in a carefree manner.

"It doesn't really matter to me if you lied about your identity,"he had said, "You're a great kid, and a hard worker too. If nobody else can see that, then they're fools."

"T-Thank you,"Marth had sniffed, gratitude sparking in his eyes, "Thank you so much."

It had been a long time since anyone had thanked Mr. Dedede for anything, and it greatly moved his heart. Lately, however, he could tell that Marth was slowly, but surely, dying. Not physically, but mentally and spiritually. He was basically a living boy with a dead-spirit and heart.

Perhaps he _was _dying physically too. Marth got dramatically skinnier, much too scrawny for a normal, growing boy. His hands shook often, so Mr. Dedede put a stop to him pouring and serving coffee. Too much of a hazard. Mr. Dedede was afraid that nobody could help his once-bright, optimistic employee now.

…

Marth felt like the living-dead. Nothing mattered anymore.

He got bullied and beaten up everyday now. It was more of a daily routine. Before school started, a gang of five boys would show up and physically beat him. Around lunch, a large group of girls would surround him, verbally abusing him and occasionally pulling his hair. Immediately after school, a mix group of boys and girls would verbally _and _physically abuse him.

_What a life I have._

Marth kept walking, or rather, limping, away from school. Nothing mattered anymore.

Ike avoided and ignored him. Link and Roy seemed torn between their two friends, but eventually stayed closer to Ike, giving him sympathetic glances from time to time. Mr. Knight remained quiet and calm, but was gentler to him that most other students. Mr. Dedede gave him a small spark of hope, but that got extinguished a long time ago, burnt out by bullying.

Soon, Marth somehow found himself at the Bridge of Eldin, which was quite famous. Nothing really mattered anymore.

Ike hated him. He hated Marth, for pretending to be a girl. For stealing his heart. For breaking his heart. Maybe now, Marth could finally pay the price for his terrible deeds. Perhaps now, Ike would stop hating him. Ike could be free.

He stood on tiptoe at the very edge, staring down at the calm river below.

_Join us!_ The water seemed to say, _It's much better down here, with us. No more pain. No more suffering. No more heartache. Join us!_

Marth held his arms out, balancing on the very edge now. He closed his eyes, and felt his body tip forward.

Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed his own, and yanked Marth back onto the bridge, and he found himself sobbing into the chest of his savior. Ike.

…

It had been a year since Marth almost killed himself on the Bridge of Eldin. Ike and Marth finished school, along with Link and Roy, and were now officially a "couple". This caused a great upset at school, but they didn't mind. All was well.

The four of the boys remained great friends. Now, about ten years later, Link officially proposed to Zelda, and Roy finally confessed his feelings to Peach, earning a kiss from her.

Marth recalled the day the four boys officially became best friends, and were almost finished with school. He smiled at the memory.

"_Maaarth! Do you mind if I borrow your gym sneakers?"Link had called, waving a pair of white sneakers in front of Marth's face, "Do you mind if they might get a bit muddy?"_

_Marth had snapped, "No! Give them back!"_

_He had chased Link outside, where Ike and Roy were already fighting, their fists up._

"_How dare you challenge me to a fight!"Ike taunted._

"_T-That's what you get for making fun of Peach!"Roy retorted. He noticed Link and Marth, and lowered his guard for a moment._

_Ike attacked first, and when he did, Roy dodged, bumping into Link in the process. This brought all four guys into the fight, with Ike teasing Roy, Link getting annoyed at Roy, and Marth trying in vain to retrieve his sneakers._

_Finally, they collapsed on the grass on their backs, staring up into the sky. Marth had just earned his sneakers back, and he held them tight._

"_Hey guys? Why are we lying on our backs?"Ike mused._

"_Because we don't wanna lie on our stomachs,"Roy declared sarcastically._

"_Yeah, that's a good reason for all of us,"Link agreed._

"_Us,"Marth murmured._

…

_We became best friends that day, and are still friends ten years later. Ike, Link, Roy and I are happily together with our own lovers. Ike tried proposing to me several times, but I've only just accepted recently. And yet, we've all come to a conclusion. Some boys don't mature; they just get older. That's us four; Link, Roy, Ike, and me._

_Who knows? Maybe right now, there may be a group of four boys, becoming "us", as we have just a mere decade ago._

"Quick! Hide!"Toon Link hissed, tumbling behind a nearby box.

"I told you we weren't supposed to be on the school roof!"Ness grumbled, laying next to Toon Link on his back, staring up at the sky.

"T-The teacher almost caught us there!"Lucas squeaked, trembling.

"Oh, Lucas. It's alright,"Popo drawled, on his back like the others.

"G-Guys? Why are we on our backs?" Lucas was still trembling, and Ness pulled him closer to him, their hands linked together.

"Aw, Luke, it's alright. Besides, we're on our backs because we don't wanna be on our stomachs,"Ness joked.

"Just the four of us,"Toon Link said, grinning.

"Us,"the four boys sighed simultaneously, and they stared up at the great blue sky.

_Who knows? Maybe right now, there may be a group of four boys, becoming "us"._

__**Ta-da! Whew... I hate writer's block... Again, sorry if this chapter wasn't as good as the others, but I'm gonna focus on my other fanfics now...  
**

**Hope you enjoyed!  
**

**- Psychic Prince  
**


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